Ceremony Symbols

There aren't many women in this novel. The first would be Grandma because of her place as the matriarch. Next would be Auntie (Thelma), a highly negative woman on the threshold of becoming the family's matriarch. She is a Christian, and she believes that suffering for others will gain respect from her community. It is this belief rather than love that leads her to care for Tayo.

Night Swan is another of the novel's female characters. She is Josiah's girlfriend, and she is strong, smart, sexy, and self-aware. Her former stint as a cantina dancer is highly responsible for her confidence, and enables her to easily seduce Tayo in order to teach him his first lesson about miscegenation and change.

Tayo's mother Laura was an alcoholic; she gave him up when he was four.

Most of the other women have very tiny roles that are necessary to the ceremony. As I teacher, I have to tell anyone who wants to know more they need to read a bit!